Marcus transferred from a Canadian university to a US graduate program his second year. His Canadian transcript showed B grades averaging 75%. His new American advisor told him that looked like a C average. The advisor was applying the wrong scale. That misunderstanding nearly cost Marcus a fellowship. Understanding how letter grades convert -- and why the conversion varies so much -- matters whenever a transcript crosses institutional or national lines.
The US Standard Scale
The most widely used scale in US high schools and colleges:
| Letter Grade | Percentage Range | GPA Points |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 97-100% | 4.0 |
| A | 93-96% | 4.0 |
| A- | 90-92% | 3.7 |
| B+ | 87-89% | 3.3 |
| B | 83-86% | 3.0 |
| B- | 80-82% | 2.7 |
| C+ | 77-79% | 2.3 |
| C | 73-76% | 2.0 |
| C- | 70-72% | 1.7 |
| D | 60-69% | 1.0 |
| F | Below 60% | 0.0 |
This is a common standard, but not universal. Some US schools set their A cutoff at 90% rather than 93%, which shifts the entire scale down by 3 points and makes grades look more generous on paper.
Canada: A Different Standard
Most Canadian universities use a scale where letter grades correspond to lower percentage ranges than US schools. The result: a Canadian B looks like a US C+ or low B- when Americans read it naively.
| Letter Grade | Canadian Percentage | US Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 90-100% | A / A+ |
| A | 85-89% | A- / B+ |
| A- | 80-84% | B+ |
| B+ | 77-79% | B / B+ |
| B | 73-76% | C+ (by US scale) |
| B- | 70-72% | C / C+ (by US scale) |
| C+ | 67-69% | D+ (by US scale) |
A Canadian student with a 75% average is a solid B student at their institution. Translating that directly to a US percentage scale produces an incorrect impression of a C average. Graduate admissions committees at US schools who receive Canadian transcripts are supposed to apply context -- but mistakes happen, especially at schools with less international application volume.
The UK System: A Completely Different Approach
UK universities use a degree classification system rather than GPA, but they do assign percentage grades throughout coursework. The cutoffs are dramatically more compressed at the top -- an 80% in the UK is considered an exceptional first-class mark, roughly equivalent to a US A+. Here is why: UK marking culture deliberately avoids inflating scores. A 90% in the UK is almost never given; most first-class work falls in the 70-80% range.
| UK Classification | Percentage | US Rough Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| First Class (1st) | 70%+ | A / A+ |
| Upper Second (2:1) | 60-69% | A- / B+ |
| Lower Second (2:2) | 50-59% | B / B- |
| Third Class | 40-49% | C / C- |
| Fail | Below 40% | F |
Where US Schools Themselves Diverge
Even within the United States, some important variations exist:
- Some schools set an A at 90%: This is common in many public school districts and some universities. It effectively lowers all cutoffs by 3 points, making grades look slightly higher on a raw percentage basis.
- Ivy League and elite universities: Grade inflation at many top schools means that a B or B+ is functionally the bottom of the effective grade distribution for passing students. This is well-documented and affects how employers and graduate schools read transcripts from different institutions.
- Graduate school grading: Many graduate programs treat a B as the minimum acceptable grade (rather than a C). Anything below a B in a graduate course often triggers academic warning.
- Pass/Fail options: Some schools allow courses to be taken pass/fail. A passing grade might be anything from 60% to 70% depending on the institution.
When This Matters Most
The conversion question comes up in four key situations: applying to graduate school with an international undergraduate transcript, employers reviewing transcripts from unfamiliar institutions, scholarship eligibility (a 3.0 requirement means different things on different scales), and study abroad credit transfers. In all four cases, asking for a GPA conversion or grade equivalency statement from your institution directly is the cleanest solution.
For converting your own grades or calculating what percentage you need to earn a target letter grade, our Grade Calculator handles both directions of the conversion.